Padfoot in the Dark
by NevertooSirius87
Summary: What happened when the Marauders were done marauding? What if Sirius found love and had a little more to lose the night he lost his best friend? What if he was not the last good (or the last Gryffindor) in the noble and most ancient house of Black? Maybe there's some room for adjustment, an addition to the family so to speak...
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer : My timeline is way off that of the book and the actual storyline, so bear with me. This is simply an idea I've had for a long while and love, so it's almost like an AU Sirius Black but without changing his fate, a whole big portion of his life is casually incorporated.**_

_**Thanks for reading and comments are always welcome!**_

* * *

><p>"Come <em>on<em>, Padfoot! Get a move on!" James pushed his friend from behind as they raced across the slick, rain-watered field. "She's waiting for us! We've got it all set."

The two were never apart it seemed, even after their final year of school. Hogwarts was another home for the both of them, and for Sirius, the only real home he'd ever known; aside from the Potter's, of course. There, he knew he'd always be welcome.

But maybe this wasn't such a good plan. A lot had changed since last summer…

Before he could overthink it any more, however, there it was. The little house, set back a ways from the road; the little house that had become the home he never had. It was a place where parents who were not his loved him; where things he did not own belonged to him; where nothing in the world could harm him.

"Are you even listening to me, Padfoot?" James shook Sirius's shoulders and laughed lightheartedly.

"Er- yeah, sure," he said.

"I _said_, you are going to stay here and there's nothing else to discuss! It's going to be just like it's always been." James didn't wait for his friend to agree before pulling him towards the house. "Now _come on_!"

Sirius shook his head in defeat. There was no conceivable way of talking James out of this one; he'd simply have to do what he knew he must and stick to his guns.

* * *

><p>Inside, the old house seemed unchanged.<p>

The curtains still hung the same as they had last summer, the mahogany table in the kitchen was as oversized as ever for the three Potter's, and Bartholomew the tabby was still sulking in his dark corners as always.

Everything was the same, but nothing was the same.

Now, a small portrait that was never there before hung in the entryway, welcoming visitors to this humble abode, much as its likeness had done many a time during his life. But Mr. Potter would not be welcoming any more visitors into his house.

This Sirius knew, and he made it a point to say nothing on the matter. It'd only upset things, and the life in this house was too precious indeed.

"James?" a timid voice called from the upstairs, only to be followed by rapid footfalls on hardwood. "James, love, is that you?"

"Yes, Mum, we're home," James called up to her as he made his way casually into the kitchen ahead. "I'm starved; you?" he asked Sirius before throwing open the pantry to inspect its contents.

He stared blankly into the all but empty space, a few boxes of crackers and cookies thrown haphazardly around the shelves. Sighing deeply, he turned and closed the heavy door. He noticed Sirius still hunched in the doorway, patiently watching his friend.

"What?" James asked innocently, not wanting the attention. Sirius could think what he'd like, but the last thing James wanted was for him to start voicing his worries. So he smiled and knocked his companion on the shoulder before meeting his mother on the stairs.

"My boy, oh just look at you!" Mrs. Potter embraced her son tightly and only released him from her grasp when what seemed like hours had passed. Only then did she notice the other boy on the kitchen threshold. "Oh, and of course - Sirius!"

She wrapped her thin arms around the young man's shoulders, happy to see the both of them. Sirius smiled awkwardly and did his best to return her sincerity.

"It's good to see you again, Mrs. Potter," he said softly. Why on earth was he not yet used to this?

He'd lived with the Potter's for at least one summer now, not to mention holidays, so why could he simply not grow accustomed to the warmth with which they embraced him?

But oh well, that mattered little now. He'd be gone soon enough.

With the money left by his uncle Alphard - well now. That'd certainly be enough to get started somewhere; buy a house maybe. He'd get a job and that'd be that.

Now it was only a question of convincing James.

No.

He was going to do it with or without James' approval.

This was not his friend's decision, after all. It was Sirius's and his alone. He couldn't rely on his friends forever, no matter how much he liked the idea. It was settled, but he would tell the Potter's later. Now was not the time.

James' mother had corralled the two into the kitchen once more and had them sit down at the table. Sirius had been here so often, and every time had he felt a little more at home.

But something in the back of his mind had gnawed at his conscience and refused to be budged.

All those years, and only _then_, in his sixth year too, had he had the nerve to stand up to his family. Only _then_ had he left. And what did that say of him? That he was a coward?

Maybe he was just like the rest of them after all. And now, sitting in the hard, high-backed chair, the same feeling ate at him still.

Maybe he really didn't belong here. Maybe his leaving was for the best.

But for the moment, he _was_ home. He made himself believe that. He was too tired to contemplate his future tonight. Best save such heavy topics for the morning over a cup of too-strong coffee with which to clear his head.

Mrs. Potter sat quietly beside the two, simply taking in their faces. Her son held his father's likeness so exactly. His friend simply looked like someone fighting to stay afloat. My goodness, there was simply too much sadness in this house.

"Would anyone like some tea? I think we need some tea. I'll put on the kettle."


	2. Chapter 2

The tea went quickly though sipped through pursed lips at irregular intervals.

The three sat in silence, and any casual observer could have seen that Mrs. Potter was absolutely bursting with questions about the boys' final school year, but she was a respectful woman and took their silence as a sign that neither had any intention of sharing stories that night. Tomorrow, perhaps.

"Mum, I think I'll go and unpack my trunk," James said, pushing his chair back abruptly from the table and breaking the uncomfortable silence that had snuck through the door upon their arrival.

"Alright, love. You two must be tired," the woman said softly, trying to sound cheerful. "My goodness, have I forgotten already what it was like when I left Hogwarts for the last time?" James smiled and kissed her on the cheek before turning and slumping up the stairs.

"I think I'll head up too," Sirius pitched in, feeling guilty about leaving the lonely woman by herself, yet also feeling the urge to yawn tugging at the back of his throat as their long day began to catch up with him. Getting through and out of Kings Cross had been a nightmare, security way up after so many recent attacks, and with so many students unsure of who was coming for them, the platform had been unusually crowded.

Mrs. Potter nodded, her thin lips now struggling to stay up at the corners, and stared back down at her half-empty teacup.

Sirius backed out of the kitchen before turning and bolting up the stairs to catch up with James who had already lugged his heavy trunk up the steep case and was trying to fit it through the doorframe of his bedroom.

He said nothing as Sirius passed him, his own trunk in tow, and listened as his friend set it safely on the floor of the next room down the hall. James grunted with frustration as he struggled with the buckles which had become caught on the doorframe in his efforts.

His trunk was slightly larger than Sirius's and was not nearly as easily maneuverable.

"You're never getting it in like that, mate," Sirius laughed and helped his friend to reposition the heavy trunk, narrowly passing it through the doorframe.

James nodded his thanks and dragged it the rest of the way into the room, placing it at the foot of the bed.

Sirius followed and plopped himself down, not hesitating to prop up his feet, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You alright?" He spoke quietly, not wanting to sound imposing, but wanting an answer. James simply looked up at him, saying nothing.

"Yeah. 'Course I am," he shrugged, looking away again. He hated it when Sirius asked him that kind of question. He hated people prying.

He was _supposed_ to be a confident, independent Gryffindor. He had been Head Boy for God's sake! People expected him to be worthy of that. Sirius's silly inquiries only made him face the fact that he wasn't all of those things. He wasn't perfect; sometimes he had the qualities of a bloody Slytherin. But that's not what others saw, and he wanted to keep it that way.

"Alright, then," Sirius continued. "So what we doing tomorrow? Unpacking still? Though you told her you'd do it now, so I s'pose…"

"What are you getting at?" James shot. "What do _you_ think I should be doing? And, _why_, may I ask do you think you can dictate that?"

Sirius sat up slowly, shocked at the sudden outburst.

"I- well I don't think I'm getting at anything; I only want to know what the plan is, since you have expressed how adamant you are that I stay. And no, I don't think I can, or should, be dictating that." He didn't want them to be fighting first day back, especially since he had no intention of staying, an argument now would just make it hurt more. For them both.

But James shook his head and looked away.

"Sorry," he mumbled, quite sincerely. "I guess- I guess I'm just tired."

"You and me both, mate. I think I'm going to agree with your mum on this one. That train ride was exceptionally long."

"Huh, you can say that again. It felt like it'd never end." James gave a small smile.

"Oh, yeah; I bet _Lily_ felt the same way!"

"Shut up!" Sirius laughed out loud, only to annoy James more, who came at him with his wand, jokingly holding it to his friend's chest.

"Hey, careful with that thing! I hear _magic's a dangerous privilege_!" Sirius exclaimed in a high pitched, stern feminine voice, quoting Professor McGonagall.

"Get out of my room, Minerva." James shoved Sirius off the bed and kicked him through the door.

"Yes, M'am!" Sirius saluted, stumbling around the corner and into his own room.

* * *

><p>Falling into bed soon thereafter, Sirius began to contemplate the reality of all his plans.<p>

Could he really make it on that small fortune left by Alphard? Who knew. Maybe, maybe not. If he found a job and saved a bit- well that would work, wouldn't it? He certainly hoped so.

He simply wished he was less wary of the whole thing. He'd never quite felt like this before, such a feeling of helplessness and unknowing…would he be pulled back by the rest of his family? They certainly wouldn't want anything to do with him- would they?

_No_, he decided. _They've probably forgotten all about me by now. I wasn't ever really there to them anyways_.

Reg was always the good child, the good little Slytherin. He would be fine. Sirius's little brother didn't need him there anymore to protect him.

Well, no use keeping himself up with it. He might as well sleep. Who knew how much longer he'd be here? Might as well embrace it for once in his life.

And he slept more soundly that night than he had in many a month.


	3. Chapter 3

He woke with the sun.

It was still dark, earlier than he'd have liked had he looked at the clock by the bedside, but he lay in the dim morning light, following the rough ridges

in the chipped paint that crisscrossed the ceiling with his eyes.

Finally, he made the regrettable decision of leaving the warmth of the bed to go and investigate the whereabouts of the other inhabitants of the house.

He opened the door slowly, careful not to let the hinges creak, and slipped out into the hall.

Leaving the plush of the carpet of his room, he inhaled sharply as his bare feet made contact with cold hardwood.

Sneaking silently past James' door, he heard the telltale sound of his friend's deep, undisturbed snoring. He smiled, descending into the heart of the house, and crept quietly around the corner at the base of the stairs.

There, glancing into the kitchen, he made out the dark figure of Mrs. Potter, seated just as she'd been the night before, hands grasped firmly around the middle of a new steaming cup of tea.

She looked up slightly, turning towards his still figure in the doorway.

"Good morning," she said calmly. She gave a small smile and placed her hand on the table top, inviting him to sit. "Tea?"

"Thank you," he said hesitantly, not wanting to intrude yet knowing he wasn't. He sat where he had the night before, positioned as if they never had left. He then wondered if she had.

She poured the hot liquid into a thick sided yet delicate looking tea cup and handed it gingerly to him by the thin handle. "Careful," she cautioned as she provided a small pitcher of milk and a bowl of sugar.

He nodded his thanks and returned her good morning.

"Do you suppose you'll stay?" she asked suddenly, making him drink the scalding tea too quickly and gasp as it scorched the inside of his throat.

"Sorry?" He hadn't thought she knew, even _he_ really didn't know his plans. He'd told no one.

"I'm sorry, I overheard you and James last night. It sounded to me you weren't sure - that James had to convince you to stay here with us." She smiled slightly and sat back from the table. "I don't like to think you're being held against your will trying to be a friend."

"I - er - I don't know," Sirius responded quietly. "I want to, you're like family to me; it's not that. I just - " He sighed, not knowing how to continue without making too much of a fool of himself.

"I understand," she said instead, nodding. "It's hard, now that James' father - well, I suppose you'll need some time to figure out what you want. James can't live here forever either, but between you and me, I'm not so sure he knows that yet."

She chuckled and Sirius couldn't help but join her. It felt good to laugh, even just a little, even at a stupid joke about his friend, sleeping soundly and obliviously upstairs.

He nodded, breathing in deeply, his mood brightened.

"I haven't really mentioned it to him yet," Sirius mumbled. "I know he's not going to like it."

Mrs. Potter nodded and examined her tea cup. "Yes, I think you're right, though you also need to do what _you_ think you need to, not what he thinks you need." She put down the cup and looked up at him. "Does that make any sense?"

"Ha- yeah, it does. I think it's really just a matter of making myself do it at this point; not - "

"Not staying on my account," a low voice muttered from the darkness of the hall.

James, contrary to Sirius's belief, had not been sleeping as soundly as usual and had consequentially been woken by the muted voices of his friend and mother. He now stood, framed in the doorway, having overheard just enough to grasp the gist of the conversation.

"James, hey. Er- good morning," Sirius stumbled, unsure what to say, unsure how, or if, he could back out of an explanation. He was more than sure he couldn't.

"Morning," James returned, walking into the light and moving to sit at the table. "You two have been up for a while, then?"

"Well - "

"Not for 'a while'; Sirius just joined me. And now that you have as well perhaps we can have a proper discussion," the older woman cut in, glancing at the frazzled, shaggy haired boy who gave a small smile of gratitude.

"About what? Sounds to me like there's already been a discussion," James retorted, however calmly.

"Yes, between Sirius and I; I surely hope you don't feel as if you've been left out." Her voice was steady, not filled so much with concern as with the dangerous warning voice of a mother. She smiled at her son who did not seem to appreciate her teasing him.

"Sirius has a proposition he'd like to make, though without interruption and with hope that his friend will make an effort to understand." With that, she picked up her tea and stood, walking out of the kitchen and back upstairs.

Sirius looked after her, startled. This was not the plan - though, to be honest, had there been one?

"Well?" James was looking at him now, expectantly, but not enthusiastically, as they sat alone at the too big table in the too small room.

"Er- well, yeah. So, I've been thinking, to be realistic I don't think I could stay for much longer; I mean to say _living_ here, not like, leave the country or anything..."

"And you're always the one to be _realistic_, aren't you?" James replied sarcastically.

"Well I mean - that's not really the point right now, is it? I mean, come on, James. We're out! We're on our own now; there isn't anybody to keep us up anymore. We have to do that. God, I know I don't like the sound of that, and God knows that I'm the _last_ person that should - or _could_, for that matter - be telling you what to do. So please don't take this that way. But I think I need to do something now - on my own." He sighed, waiting for any kind of response.

But James was silent. He just sat, hunched over the table, watching his friend intently, waiting for more. But no more came.

"Okay," he whispered finally. "If you're worrying about what I think, you shouldn't. Despite what you may like to think, I do not need you with me every second of the day to keep my sanity." The two boys laughed.

"Well thank God for that! I was beginning to think I'd end up living with you until death do we part. You know you're like a brother to me, mate, but to be honest, I don't want to picture growing old together. We'd have quite a few disappointed ladies on our hands," Sirius joked.

Soon, the two were laughing loudly, but stopped when the old clock in the hall struck the hour and they were once more reminded of their circumstances.

"What now?" James asked.

"Dunno, but don't act like it's my funeral. I'm not leaving yet, Prongs!" He knocked James on the shoulder and stood from the table. "Let's go unpack, then."


	4. Chapter 4

They spent the next hour sorting through the bottomless mass of things they had collected that year, the contents of their trunks seeming to have tripled since September.

Old editions of _Daily Prophet_'s and long-forgotten rolls of parchment flew in all directions as a rogue fanged frisbee was uncovered by an unsuspecting Sirius, who's hand had daringly tunneled under a heap of sweaters and robes and been nipped by the nasty device.

"_Ah_!" he exclaimed, clutching his hand away. "Huh, I was wondering where that went," he laughed, grinning at James, only to have a book tossed at his head from the the corner of the room.

It landed with a heavy thud several feet from where Sirius sat on the floor. A thick, overwritten copy of _Muggles Who Notice._

"_Blenheim Stalk_," Sirius began, reading from the cover. "Thank you, Sir, for concocting this _extremely _interesting piece of literature." He folded over the cover and smoothed out the front pages, having been crumpled in their cramped quarters in the trunk, and read, "'_Dodgy Dirk'_ holds forth in bars along the south coast on the subject of a '_dirty great flying lizard_'…" Sirius slammed the book closed again and tossed it aside.

"Well wasn't that _extraordinary_?" James piped up from the opposite side of the bed, not bothering to look up from his own trunk.

"Oh shut it, Potter. I know you loved that class," Sirius said sarcastically.

"_Muggle Studies_? Oh yeah. Just thrilling."

"No? But Quirrell loved you," Sirius pointed out. "Me - not so much."

"Oh, come on; you can't tell me he didn't adore those pranks you played."

"Ha - yeah, some of my best work, if I do say so myself!"

"Pixies, anyone?"

"That was the best exam I've ever taken," Sirius sighed, nostalgically. "The little blue guys everywhere - in his turban, in the books, paper flying..."

"Alright, alright; calm down before you get yourself over-excited."

Sirius smiled and continued to rustle through the old pieces of paper that had made their way into his belongings. The rough scratching of parchment against parchment was heard from James' position on the opposite side of the bed, then the frantic digging through the mess as Sirius spotted something buried beneath old essays and Dream charts.

"Hey! Look at this!" he exclaimed, pulling some pages gingerly from the bottom of the heap.

"Hm?"

"'_Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs, are proud to present - '_"

"_The Marauder's Map_," James said, his excitement growing as he recognized his and his friends' carefully chosen names.

He pulled himself up and moved closer to see it, the faded parchment from years past, torn at the edges and creased in the center.

"I thought Filch took it from you?" he said with disbelief as he took the packet from Sirius.

"He did," Padfoot confirmed. "This is the prototype."

It was true. Upon closer inspection James could make out little flaws here and there on the map that had taken them so long to perfect - misspellings of locations, misplaced and missing classrooms, marks that notched the bottom to mark where everything in Hogwarts was located…

"So you've been using this?" James inquired.

"Well, every now and again, but the thing is so unreliable - it has the nasty little habit of telling me you're Snivelus!"

"Haha, very funny." He handed the parchment back and it was hidden away again in the trunk.

"I think we're done," Sirius said conclusively as he re-buckled the locks on his case.

James nodded in agreement and sighed, flopping back on the bed.

"How is it that I'm more tired than when we started?" he exclaimed. Sirius just laughed and kicked his trunk into the corner away from him. A yellow, mildewed tennis ball caught his eye as it rolled dangerously close to a break in one of the floorboards, and he took it up, tossing it swiftly up in the air.

"Quidditch, anyone?"


	5. Chapter 5

It was not so much a game of Quidditch than it was a game of _Who can fly to the end of the field the fastest?_

It was sheer freedom - no Quidditch pitch below, no borders in which they had to stay, no goal posts to dictate how the game was played.

And most importantly, no other team to beat.

The tennis ball worked nicely as a stand-in Golden Snitch, making the game a bit more interesting by its severe lack of flight capabilities. Soon, however, the two had it zipping around their heads erratically, poorly enchanted and rather deadly should it be aimed at one's head.

There was a strange haze that rested just above the horizon, cutting the tree line in two. From above, one could just distinguish through the thick mist the faint traces of the dry summer grasses and the minuscule stream that ran the length of the field, all of which, on a clear day, seemed to cover the ground with what appeared to be thousands of little people rushing through the wind-swept foliage.

Today, however, the boys could barely make out the shape of the Potter's house from their position in the treetops across the expanse which had begun to be engulfed in the rapid onset of night.

"Should probably head back," James said, taking notice at last of the dark that had begun to creep out of the forest. Sirius nodded in agreement, though smirked at his friends' uncharacteristic concern. He had to admit, however, that with all the recent Death-Eater activity, he was more than happy to take James' side and return.

James took no notice and together they hunted down the tennis-ball-snitch, stowing it in a pocket and returning to the house.

* * *

><p>The moon shone brightly in an amber colored sky as they made their soft, practiced landings on the lawn. Mrs. Potter had arranged dinner already in the dining room for their return and ushered them in to sit, complaining their food would be cold by the time they got to it at the pace they were walking. James and Sirius laughed as she smiled at her own fabricated concern and laid out the plates of still hot food for the three of them.<p>

They ate quietly as was typical in the Potter's house, but not unhappily. On the contrary, all three felt happier and more comfortable than they had in a long while, and certainly were the happiest they'd been yet that summer.

"So, how is everyone feeling about not returning to Hogwarts next year?" Mrs. Potter asked, having found the moment she needed to bring about the question.

The boys shrugged.

"Fine, I guess," James began. "Kind of sad maybe, but I dunno - excited, more than anything. Nervous about, well - " He trailed off, glancing at Sirius as he unintentionally broached the uncomfortable topic.

"Just about everything really," Sirius picked up. "Yeah, I don't know that anyone really talked about it, now that I think of it. At least not that I heard." James nodded in agreement.

"Well if the way I felt still applies, I'm sure no one really knows how they feel yet. It's a big jump, certainly," Mrs. Potter contributed. "But not so big that you have to forget everything you've done for the past seven years."

"Oh no, of course not," James said. "Good old Herbology, eh Sirius? Some nice Mandrakes to re-pot?"

"You never know," Mrs. Potter continued. "You might indeed need that someday. Don't discount it just yet!"

"The mandrake incident has stuck with Sirius since second year, Mum. I'm not sure he'll ever be around one again unless it's forced on him." Sirius nodded vigorously.

"Yeah no, I think I'll just stay away from any kind of plant-life, Mrs. Potter, no matter how important it might be."

She chuckled and pushed her chair from the table, standing and gathering her dishes. "I think I heard the owl at the window. I'm going to check, then I think I'll be headed off to bed if you two don't mind."

Neither did and they both wished her goodnight as she shuffled off around the stairs. The creak of the opening window echoed softly into them and the post-owl could be heard as it took back off into the night sky.

"Speaking of big jumps," James said. "I just remembered! I saw something down in Diagon, Sirius. Something about a house - "

"Yellow, lots of windows, no one to speak of around it?" Sirius interrupted gulping down a mouth-full of bread. "Yeah I saw that too."

"You going to look at it? Isn't that what you were thinking you could do?"

"Yeah I guess. I mean, I hadn't really thought anything of it, but I s'pose I could."

"Ha - alright, well if you need anyone to go with I'll tag along."

"Oh, thanks, Prongs. You know, you make me feel _so_ much better about these things."

"I know don't worry. With your luck it'll probably only be haunted by one or two ghouls, or have some friendly boggarts living in the closets!"

"Fantastic. Now I'll be able to sleep."


	6. Chapter 6

It had been a few weeks since last they'd spoken of the little yellow house with lots of windows in the middle of nowhere, and James had assumed it had been long forgotten - at least until Sirius had gotten back so late one night with an expression that said he knew something and was trying not to combust from keeping it to himself.

He'd managed to get a small, quite uneventful position working with (or for, rather) some lethargic old Ministry men who seemed only to own business robes of one or two shades of brown and greatly enjoyed "forgetting" a variety of paperwork in their offices, only to send Sirius to retrieve them.

(He quickly came to the conclusion that he had finally become a Labrador Retriever and pretty soon, he was willing to bet, his Animagus form would start to resemble one.)

With this and the newly formed Order of the Phoenix, He'd saved up some money to supplement that he'd inherited from his uncle and made the quick decision to purchase the little house.

"Just you wait," he said. "It's great! Perfect, if I do say so myself."

"And you do say so," James mumbled. "You have said multiple times."

Sirius smiled and knocked his friend in the shoulder. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just hang on; You'll see what I mean."

* * *

><p>It was quite nice. The house was small, but, then again, surely enough space for Padfoot.<p>

It sat on the edge of a lengthy field, surrounded on all sides by a sparse population of trees, with only one other house in sight on either direction down the dirt road it was situated on. By all accounts, it was the definition of solitude.

"Welcome," Sirius began, dramatically extending both his arms as if giving the property a hug. "To my humble abode!"

"What on earth have you started?" James sighed with a chuckle, following Sirius' enthusiastic gait up the rickety porch and through the door.

A few enchantments had been cast around the house, and Sirius finished them off just before they shut the door.

"It's not much, but I think I like it."

"You think you like it? Well you've bought it so you better like it! Could use some paint though, I'll say that."

"Well that's what friends are for, isn't it?" Sirius said, schemingly.

James sighed. "Why'd I say anything? I meant that it's perfect! I'm surprised they couldn't sell it for more!"

"Oh, shut it, Prongs."

James put his hands up in surrender and began to examine the interior of the house.

"You know, it really isn't _that_ bad," he said, replacing the top of the staircase's banister that had dislodged as he placed his hand on it. "It is you, and I mean that in the nicest way."

"Oh, good, my friend equates my personality with the qualities of a broken railing."

"Ah, don't be like that. I'm obviously referring to the peeling paint, not the banister. Just polish him up a bit and he looks good as new!"

Sirius glared at him through dangerously narrowed eyes. "Why did I ask you along again?"

"Because you could ask me to help you paint."

Sirius smirked.

"See? I knew you'd come around to the idea!"

* * *

><p>They left shortly thereafter, finding themselves at an equally as solitary table in the Leaky Cauldron.<p>

There had been a man on the piano upon their arrival, but he'd since abandoned his post and disappeared in the back.

The bartender, Tom, had disappeared long ago as well, evidently not expecting any new customers any time soon. Business had been down recently anyway. No reason to expect anyone other than his regulars would venture out now if they didn't have to.

James and Sirius, however, sat quite content in the relative silence of the room, some coffee and a drink before them on the dark table-top.

James glanced casually up a large faced, antiquated clock that hung rather imposingly on the back wall.

"I should probably get going," James said, obviously unenthused by the suggestion. "Lily will be waiting."

Sirius nodded and sat up in his chair, not yet ready to stand. "Agh, but James, I thought _I _was your date tonight?"

"Ha, sorry, mate. Another time. Planned this one a while ago - can't go breaking it now!" James laughed, a nervous lilt to his voice.

"Hey, whatever. I see how it is. Guess I should've seen this day coming - who'd ever've thought my best friend's girlfriend could be more important than me?" Sirius smiled devilishly, though softened a bit as he thought about what his friend had said. "Planned this one? Wow, that's a step up for you, isn't it? Mr. _I don't need a plan, I can improvise_?"

James laughed again and nodded. "Yeah, I guess it is, huh?"

"Okay, okay. You're right, you should probably go." Sirius got up stiffly and practically pushed his friend to the door. "And make sure to tell Ms. Evans I love her more than you do."

"Oh alright, definitely."

"Don't you do anything I wouldn't do, or, on second thought - "

"Do anything you wouldn't do," James concluded.

"Exactly. See? You'll be fine, mate."

James shook his head and laughed one last time, still nervously, before opening the door and stepping outside.

Sirius closed the heavy door behind him and turned to sit back down at his table - or he would've sat back down at his table had no one taken his place. She was little, maybe two or three-years-old, though he was never good with ages so it was difficult to tell. She had two lopsided, sandy braids tied with green ribbons sticking out both sides of her head - and at that moment, she was sitting in his chair.

How the little girl had gotten up by herself he didn't know, let alone where in the wizarding world she had come from. He was more than certain she hadn't simply materialized there, but had she been there before? He'd seen no one else besides James and himself in the pub - maybe she'd been at the back where it was darker? But she couldn't be alone, certainly.

He glanced around the room which still appeared to be empty, and walked causally over to her. With his luck, this little girl would have an overly defensive parent who would owl the Ministry in complaint for talking to their kid, who, Sirius thought, shouldn't have been left alone there anyway, but he wasn't sure what else he could do.

"Hello there." She looked up at him curiously, not a hint of fear in her hazel eyes, and smiled wide. She waved her tiny hand madly in greeting, then slipped off the seat and bolted faster than Sirius could say _broomstick_ to the other side of the room.

"Hey!" He made after her and spun around the corner of the bar, hoping there was no one back there who would notice.

Instead, he found himself nearly colliding with the only person there.

She jumped as he slid faster than he wanted to across the glossy floor, just barely stopping himself within inches of where she stood. They both stopped, frozen for a moment, unsure of what had happened, until Sirius shook himself out of his stupor and took a step back.

"Sorry," he said. "Er- didn't realize anybody was back here."

He caught a glimpse of green and a familiar, curious face appeared behind the woman, half hidden as the little girl peeked shyly out at him.

"Er - this is going to sound strange as soon as I've said it - but is she with you?" he asked.

"Yes," she said cautiously. "Why?"

"Yeah, sorry. Just, like I said, didn't know anyone else was here and she just kind of appeared then ran off again. I just wanted to make sure she was - "

"Oh my gosh, Jenny how many times do I have to tell you! You stay with me, okay?" She held Jenny around the shoulders and crouched down to eye

level before picking her up. "Thank you. You'd think a three year old wouldn't be able to get very far, but ever since she learned how to walk we haven't been able to keep her still." She laughed, but Sirius couldn't tell if it was out of discomfort or friendliness.

"Ha, well, sorry - or, you're welcome." He smiled and started to move back around the corner.

"What did you say your name was?" she said, perhaps unintentionally, as she immediately looked away as if wondering who had asked the question.

"Sirius."

She looked up again, meeting his eyes with surprise. "Oh, nice - nice to meet you," she hesitated, then, after a brief silence, "Melissa. Or, _my_ name is Melissa."

"Haha, well nice to meet you. And Jenny." He smirked at the little girl who disappeared once more behind Melissa with a giggle. "I should probably be

going."

"Oh of course, sorry. You probably have things to do, and it's getting late."

He nodded and slipped back to his table. God was he a liar. He had _nowhere _to be. It was a Sunday night and he had nothing to do other than wait for his friend to get back from a date.

And then there was Jenny. She was suddenly at his side again, trotting up to him and plopping herself down on the floor by his feet.

He stared at her in awe. She certainly was one mobile toddler. He heard Melissa get up from the back once again, surely searching for the girl.

"Come on, you." She let him pick her up and carry her back around the corner where he found Melissa crouched under the table looking for the lopsided braids. She turned to see his feet and nearly screamed from surprise, only to stand up and smile sheepishly as he placed Jenny on the bench to ensure she wouldn't try running again.

"Thanks," Melissa said quietly.

"Are you waiting for someone?" Sirius asked.

"Yes. Well no, not really. I _am _looking for whoever can give me a room upstairs, but it would appear the staff has gone home for the night," she said rather dejectedly.

"Hang on." He strolled around the bar and opened the door to the back as though he actually knew what he was doing. Stepping through the dark entry, he found Tom sitting with an old _Daily Prophet_ at a table across the room. "You have a customer."


	7. Chapter 7

He woke with a start to a knock.

It sounded like the hollow echo of an old, rotted tree, but the noise was persistent, and he jumped when he noticed the small fist that was pounding the tabletop beside his head.

"Ah!"

The fist stopped and sped off the table, the body it was attached to jumping from its perch on a chair and running full speed away from the newly awakened Sirius.

It was Jenny, wide awake despite the late hour.

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and blinked to adjust to the strange lighting of the room. The door of the pub opened suddenly and for a moment Sirius wondered if it was really early morning rather than late at night. He half expected Tom to walk in, ready to open up again for business, only to find the table occupied. The other half of him knew that Tom was more than likely still hunched over his newspaper in the back room, probably trying not to doze off in front of the steaming brew of coffee he kept going just for the purpose of keeping himself awake.

Instead, the door opened and in popped a dark haired young man, a giddy expression strewn across his face.

He scanned the room as if looking for something, and started forward, still in a kind of daze when he landed on Sirius.

"What are you still doing here?" James said with a smile. "Thought you were heading back to the house. I went all the way back there for nothing!"

He pulled up a chair and sat across from Sirius, leaning across the table as if to see him better. His foot tapped the floor excitedly like a dragon who'd just visited a Gringott's vault.

"Yeah, I think I might've fallen asleep," Sirius said, immediately yawning widely. "Hm, this little kid woke me up. I dunno where - " He turned stiffly and glanced around the room for the sandy braids and green ribbons, but she seemed to have disappeared back to her room.

Soon after, however, footfalls could be heard across the creaking floorboards of the upstairs and Melissa appeared at the top, her hair disheveled and only partially still in the bun it had been earlier. She wore a turquoise top and a pair of bright orange shorts.

She looked as if she'd just woken up from an either really good or really bad dream, a kind of haze around her that said she wasn't quite sure where she was. She must have rushed to get out of her room because a pair of mismatched flip-flops adorned her feet.

She spotted Sirius and James and practically ran down the steps.

"Have you seen Jenny?" she asked, wild panic in her eyes.

James looked confusedly at his friend who in turn blinked daftly before nodding in answer. "Uh-huh. Haven't the slightest where she disappeared to now though. Probably the back." He stood rather painfully and flinched at the crick in his neck from its odd angle on the table before stumbling off around the corner right behind Melissa.

James stayed where he was, at a loss for words. Obviously, he'd missed something while he was gone.

"There you are!" Melissa's voice said, followed by a tiny, high-pitched giggle that could only have belonged to Jenny. All three reappeared and the little girl struggled from the woman's arms until finally she was let down. Once she was stable and once more at knee height on the two adults, she promptly latched onto Sirius's fingers, taking him much by surprise.

Melissa covered her mouth with a hand, trying her hardest to stifle a laugh while Sirius stared uncomprehendingly at Jenny.

"Jen, sweetie," she said after finally composing herself. "Let go and let's go back to bed. Say goodbye, love. Mr. Sirius has got to sleep too, you know."

The toddler looked up at him with her big curious eyes and slowly detached her little fist from his. "Night night," she said simply before taking up Melissa's hand again and starting up the stairs.

Melissa shrugged and apologized one last time for bothering him, turned, and skipped back upstairs to their room.

Sirius hesitated a moment before returning his attention to James, whom he realized was still present, and sitting sluggishly back at the table. He knocked the rather sad and very stale cup of cold coffee around the table, the clink of glass echoing dimly through the room. "So how was your night?" he said tiredly.

"How was _yours_?" James replied with a smirk. "Busy, were you?"

"Not quite sure 'busy''s the right word. But what did you do? How's my favorite flower?"

James let his smile drop, though he was clearly struggling to resist the urge to grin. "Good," he said casually, dully. "Not _too_ exciting."

"Oh, good. Wouldn't want that now, would we?" Sirius said coyly. There was something about James' demeanor that told him the date was more exciting than he was letting on.

"I asked her, Sirius," James said after a second's silence.

"Sorry?"

"I asked Lily to marry me."

Sirius must have been staring harder than he meant to, because James suddenly seemed concerned.

"Bloody hell, Prongs," he said, a smile of his own growing on his face. "Bloody hell and she said yes? To _you_?"

"I know, novel idea, isn't it?" And the two friends were laughing just like they used to, and they never wanted to stop.


	8. Chapter 8

Several weeks went by and Sirius liked to think that the Jenny incident had been pushed to the back of his mind. He liked to think that. A simple fact that made him think about it all the more.

He hadn't been to the Leaky Cauldron since, whether by chance or because he was avoiding it he couldn't decide. James never mentioned it and life progressed as usual.

Up until one Friday.

The day had been unusually windy, way off the muggle forecast of 72 degrees and sunny. The gusts had dropped the temperature dramatically and Sirius had been sent out of the office with little more than his jacket.

The wizened old men he put up with at his job may have pushed him over the edge today. Today, instead of the usual _Black, I need those notices in my office upstairs. Go and get them,_ he'd been told _Black, I need some schedules from the _Prophet. _Go down to Diagon Alley and get some for me_. Today of all days.

He huffed and straightened his collar up over his ears, shoved his hands into his pockets and trudged down the street. There was no one out. Did he dare? Yes. It was too cold not to.

He didn't bother slipping down the side alley and instead disapparated right there in the middle of the sidewalk. The only people he was worried about having seen him were those inside the warm office, such sticklers for the rules he'd lose the job for sure. But no one noticed and he continued a little more happily once he'd reached the door to the Cauldron.

He opened the door just an inch and crept inside, forcing it shut again against the wind with a bang.

One or two people already inside glanced up at him questioningly before returning their attention to their own affairs. Tom waved from the bar.

"Where've you been?" he said with mock sadness. "We've been missing you!"

"Oh yeah, I bet," Sirius laughed. "Who's this 'we'? You're the only one I talk to."

Tom shrugged and glanced back down at his _Prophet_. "Figure of speech."

"Mind if I hide out here for a while? I'll just tell the old guys I got lost. They'll believe that easily enough," Sirius said, pulling up a stool.

"I choose not to answer," the barman said secretively. "Wouldn't want to get in trouble for influencing your decisions, now would I?"

"So that's a yes then," Sirius finished with a grin.

An older couple called for Tom across the room and he slipped off, leaving Sirius alone.

He tried not to pay attention to the conversations that floated freely around the pub, none so softly spoken that they couldn't be heard by everyone else. One little voice peeked his attention however, and he turned in his seat only to find a sandy haired little girl just down the bar from him.

He looked away. Maybe it wasn't her. They couldn't possibly still be here. No. There were hundreds of little sandy haired girls in London. He looked back just to make sure.

This time, she looked over too. Her eyes got wide as they made eye contact and her face broke out into a huge grin. It was Jenny alright. And that meant the woman sitting beside her was Melissa.

Melissa who probably wouldn't recognize him. He was safe. It was fine. But now little Jenny was practically bouncing in her seat as she tried to make the older girl look up from her book.

"What _is_ it, Jenny?" she said after a moment just to appease the child.

"Look, look!" she whispered loudly in that way that little kids do when they think they're being sneaky. "Misteh Siwoos!"

It took a lot for him not to laugh, but a smirk still crept onto his lips.

She still wouldn't recognize him though, surely.

"Sirius?"

Or not. He couldn't just ignore her. He clearly already knew they were there.

"Hey!" he said, trying not to sound too enthusiastic but failing miserably.

She'd stood up and was moving closer.

"Where have you been?" she said, instantly going pink and adding, "Jenny has been looking for you."

Sirius laughed. "Oh she has? Yeah, I've just - gotten caught up in work I guess. Haven't had much time to get out."

"Right, of course. I bet you have a lot of important stuff to do. You probably don't have a lot of time for other things."

"Yeah."

"Yeah."

They reverted to silence.

"What about you?" he said after a moment.

"Sorry?"

"What have you been doing?" he clarified.

"Oh, right. Nothing much. I've gotten a job at a bookshop down the road. It's pretty quiet, nothing too fancy. It's relaxed enough that I can bring Jen with me. It'll be fine at least until - " She stopped short.

"Until?" Sirius prompted.

"Huh? Oh sorry, misspoke is all. Didn't mean to say that. It'll be fine is all I meant. It'll be fine." She gave a nervous chuckle and looked at him, asking him with her eyes not to ask her anything else.

"Of course it will be," he smiled reassuringly. "Well I should get going. I've got to get back to work at some point."

"Yes, you're _hiding out_ did you say?" she said knowingly.

"Yeah, don't tell the boss though - " He looked up at her suddenly. When had he told her that?

"Ha, I heard you tell the barman," she said with a small smile.

"Right," he said quietly. "Bye, then." Something tugged on his coat. "And goodbye, miss Jenny." He tapped her lightly on the head making her giggle and made his way back out into the cold, something warm now sitting in the center of his chest.


	9. Chapter 9

Sirius marched swiftly down the all but desolate street, the cobblestones making an eerie clicking beneath his heels.

No one in their right mind would want to be out today, not even for Eeylops Owl Emporium's five galleon clearance. The wind seemed to have picked up even more than earlier and the sun had slunk away behind the clouds.

Maybe it would rain.

A skinny little cat crept out of the doorway to test the air only to hiss menacingly at Sirius as he passed by and scatter as a gust brought down a loose board from a window next door.

There were a few of these, several shops that had closed down rather recently with no prior warning, shops whose business had been perfectly fine, even booming. Now the buildings were shut up from the outside, a demonstration of sorts of the fear people had adopted.

Something crunched under Sirius's foot and he stopped, bending to scoop it up. It was a missing person's poster, the smiling face of a man blinking up at him. The name was obscured beyond recognition from the rain and mud in the street, but from the looks of the page, it had been there quite a while.

Posters of another nature, the images of the men and women who were responsible for the missing person's, hung around every corner, their contorted faces possessed by anger and malice.

Sirius forced himself not to look at them. Many of them he already knew, the name _Black_ attached somewhere to their names and ancestry. The noble and most ancient house of Black could have made their family tree out of fading wanted posters.

Finally he approached the stoop of the _Daily Prophet_. Stepping inside, happy to be out of the wind once more if only for a little while, he approached the little desk at the front.

Only one other was already inside, a short, stocky man with a black hooded cloak cinched tightly around his shoulders. He browsed through some of the books and old copies of newspapers that lined the shelves, hardly glancing up as Sirius entered.

"How can I help you?" the wizard behind the desk said when he noticed his customer.

"I'm here for the Improper Use of Magic Office," he said dully, setting his department pass on the table. "I need some schedules please."

"Name, please."

"Black," he said, sliding the pass over. "But the order is probably under _Jerome_."

The man ducked out into the back and Sirius slid the papers back into his pocket. He tapped his knuckles along the wood impatiently, rather being in the warmth of the Leaky Cauldron than here.

The clerk returned with a thick stack of papers, bundled together and knotted securely with rope. He placed the package in a thin-sided box and expertly laced the whole thing up, handing it off to Sirius with a smile and a "have a nice day."

Sirius sidled out the door again, bracing himself against the wind, and barely registered the sound of someone else sneaking out of the shop behind him.

"Black, you say?" It was the man with the hooded cloak.

Sirius turned, knowing he shouldn't and unable to resist.

The wizard had two extraordinarily bushy eyebrows, grey streaked and wild to match his patchy hair poking out beneath his hood. He bent slightly as he struggled with his sleeve, pulling it up with shaking hands to reveal a black tattoo scrawled on his forearm - the body of a snake around a screaming scull.

He held it out to Sirius as if it were a bag of gold, a sacrificial offering.

"Have you heard the news?" he continued, a crazed grin spreading across his fat little face. "Have you heard that the Prewett's, those despicable blood traitors are _dead_? Dolohov led the group; they say they tried to fight, the bloody fools."

Sirius fought the urge to shout. Why was he standing here listening to this? This idiot really thought he was actually a member of the Black family. He probably didn't even know who Dolohov was, or the Prewett's for that matter. "No, I hadn't heard," he said calmly. "Thank you for letting me know. I'll make sure to tell their family when I see them tomorrow." He let his gaze meet the Death Eaters' and watched as realization came to the little man.

"You - you mean you're not…"

"You really shouldn't stereotype." His voice was deadly quiet. He knew he was walking on thin ice here, speaking this way with someone he knew for a fact wanted him dead, but part of him didn't care. He didn't believe the wizard had it in him to kill him. And apparently neither did the wizard. His fear crept up into his eyes and he spluttered, covering his arm again and spinning right there on his heel. The loud _pop_ of the disapparation echoed down the street and Sirius turned back to the Cauldron.

He remained straight-faced, unwilling to let his emotions get the better of him despite how few people were out to see him.

It was stupid and he knew it, letting the moronic assumptions of some wannabe Death Eater convince him yet again of the ties to his family that refused to desist.

He was not one of them. He had never been one of them. He would not become one of them. His name could not define him. He would bear it, yes. But he would bear it as a reminder that he could not be completely shut out in the cold. He would not allow them escape his existence if he could not escape theirs.


	10. Chapter 10

Sirius spent much of his time over the next few weeks finishing up the project that the little yellow house had become. James came over more than once to help with organization, visits that always ended as the two of them sitting on the lonely couch in the living room surrounded by unopened boxes and a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ suspended between them.

Lily joined them more and more until she was finally so invested in Sirius's house that she slipped into the role of director and adopted the ability to override any of Sirius's decisions for the welfare of the project.

"No, no, no. You can't do that, Sirius. James!" she'd shouted at them when they'd tried to hang a set of curtains that clashed dramatically with the couch cushions.

Eventually they agreed to not get in her way and do what she told them. They both knew full well they'd get nothing accomplished without her. She knew this too and made it a point to remind them of it whenever they got off task.

Sirius also started going back to the Leaky Cauldron.

He told both James and himself that it was to keep Tom company, and this was true. The barkeep did express his gratitude to have a friendly face on the slow nights and a sober face on the busy ones.

On the other hand though, Sirius tried not to notice how he seemed to arrive each day just as Melissa was returning from work, little Jenny in tow, or how he could feel himself smiling seemingly without knowledge of just how widely he was when she said hello.

One day, when Lily had left the two of them early to go visit with her mother, James and Sirius went to the pub together, claiming their usual table and chatting with Tom about the most recent Death Eater activity.

Right on cue, the door squeaked open on its rusty hinges and Jenny came racing straight to her new favorite holding a heavy looking book out on the ends of her strong little arms.

"Hi!" she yelled, her raw excitement permeating the very air around her.

"Well hi," he said, laughing and glancing at James who was staring at her in shock and trying not to laugh himself.

"I got a _buk_!" her little three-year-old voice said, exaggerating the last word fiercely.

"_Book_, Jenny. You have a _book._" Melissa shut the door quietly behind her and took the few steps to the table. "Hi," she said with a smile, giving a small wave to James before turning back to Sirius. "She's been wanting to show you all day. Kept asking me to go and get you."

Sirius grinned at the little girl and bent over until he was at eye level with her, grey eyes to hazel. "What do you want to show me?" he asked.

"Buk, buk buk!" she exclaimed, holding the antique copy high over her head and passing it gingerly over to him.

"Wow," he said softly, building the suspense to his response as he'd learned she loved. "This is, the most amazing, thing, I've _ever_ seen." She cracked up, giddiness getting the better of her and she wrapped her arms around his shins in a tiny little bear hug.

He looked up at Melissa and laughed, patting the little girl on the back with one gentle hand.

The clock on the wall struck the hour. Eight-o'clock. "Don't you have to be getting to bed, young lady?" She looked up at him sheepishly and, as if on cue, yawned widely.

"Come on, you," Melissa said, scooping up the tired toddler and starting towards the stairs. "Say goodnight, then."

"Goodnight, Siwoos."

"Goodnight, Jenny."

Sirius's eyes lingered on the spot where they'd disappeared around the corner in the upstairs corridor before James spoke next.

"So when are you going to do it?" he said.

"Huh?"

"Ask her out. When are you going to, Padfoot?" James smirked.

Sirius was dumbfounded. He started playing with the rim of his glass. "Why would I?" he said with a small smile.

"_Why_? Oh, I don't know. You like her, it's obvious. Or at least it is to me, mate."

"Really? Like, really obvious? Not discreet at all?"

"Not in the slightest." James stretched and pushed back his chair with a sigh. "Well, I'm out. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah." Sirius stayed sitting until long after James had left. Tom was whistling to himself behind the counter as he wiped it free of the day's residue. "What?" Sirius said.

"I didn't say anything," the barman said with a shrug and a smirk.

"Wouldn't want to go influencing any of my decisions, eh?"

He chuckled. "Never."

Sirius realized he still had Jenny's book on the table in front of him. "Hey, Tom," he said before he could stop himself. "What's the room number?"

"One-ten."

"Thanks."

He felt his heart stop as he watched his own hand knock on the door, once, twice. Two slow, hollow notes. The door opened.

"Sirius?" Melissa said in surprise. "What's wrong?"

He found he no longer knew how to speak. "Nothing!" he managed. "Nothing, nothing's wrong. Jen forgot this is all." He offered her the book.

She smiled and took it from him, her smooth, fragile looking hands just grazing his. "Was there something else?"

Was there something else? He couldn't remember. "No, no that was it."

"Okay," she said. "Well goodnight then."

"Goodnight."

He turned and was fully aware of Melissa watching him from her doorway as he approached the stairs. Just as he heard her move to go back inside, he spun back around and marched back towards room number one-ten.

"Will you have dinner with me?" he blurted just as the door was about to click shut.

It remained closed for the slightest moment and Sirius was afraid he'd gone too far. But then it slowly began to open back up again, Melissa's bare feet appearing in the crack.

She stood there looking at him before answering. "Yes," she said as if it were obvious.

"Alright," Sirius said having expected no such answer and now unsure what to say next.

"Saturday?"

"At six."

"Sounds like a plan." She smiled at him. "Anything else?"

He chuckled. "No."

"You're sure?"

Totally unaware he was doing it, he took a step forward and kissed her softly on the cheek. "Positive." And he turned to leave once more. This time, he looked back when he reached the stairs to find her watching after him. She smiled and waved one last time before shutting the door. He waited to hear it click and almost skipped down the staircase and out the door, giving Tom a quick goodnight as he passed.


	11. Chapter 11

"Padfoot, for the love of God, will you _please_ pay attention and stop worrying about the bloody tie?"

Sirius was pacing the room, James sitting on the couch and reading the _Prophet_ aloud, really only to himself at this point. Sirius had spent the last twenty minutes fretting over whether his tie was straight or not.

"You sure it doesn't look stupid?" he said, tugging at the knot to loosen it yet again.

"Yes. It looks fine." James let slip a tiny, airy laugh, rewarded by an uneasy and very much annoyed glance from Sirius.

"What?"

"Ha - nothing. I didn't even know you _owned _a tie, let alone would ever wear one."

"Work. _Ugh _- I hate these things."

"Then don't wear it," James shrugged. "Not exactly the end of the world."

"No? But that'll feel like I'm giving up to it. Beaten by a tie - that sounds so sad."

"Not giving up, _rebelling_ against societal norms. But you better rebel quickly or you'll be late."

"Okay, fine. Do something with this will you?" he said, pulling the knot over his head and tossing it at James.

"Like?"

"Burn it, maybe. We can't have it thinking it won now can we?"

* * *

><p>Melissa was waiting for him at the Leaky Cauldron, sitting at the center table with a newspaper stretched across the top. Jenny was spending the evening with the woman down the hall, one Mrs. Calkins, a pleasant little old witch who'd arrived at the Cauldron just a few days before them.<p>

She didn't look up when Sirius opened the door and barely seemed to notice when he stepped quietly up to the table. He pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down awkwardly.

"Hey," he said with a smile. "Sorry I kept you waiting. I, uh, don't think I'm late, I hope I'm not late…"

Melissa smiled and looked up from the paper. "No, no, you're not late, don't worry. Ah - it's just the _Prophet_. I promised myself I wouldn't read it and look at me now, almost all the way through." She gave a little laugh and folded up the pages along their creases again, splitting the front page image of Bartemius Crouch's expressionless face straight down the middle. "Let's go."

They walked for a while, the streetlights glittering in the puddles along the road from the rain that morning, until they came up outside a small little corner café Melissa had suggested. There was no one else inside and they sat themselves at a table by a wide, thick-paned window.

"So," Sirius said, draping his coat on the back of his chair and clasping his hands on the table.

"So." Melissa did the same.

"How was work?"

She shrugged. "Delightfully uneventful. You?"

"Didn't today. The jailers were feeling merciful."

"Oh, is that so?"

"No, I don't work Saturdays." She was laughing - at him? - and he laughed too. No, not at him he decided. "So, what about that _Daily Prophet_?" he said. "I don't blame you for not wanting to read it, so what made you?"

Her laugh fell and her face made that funny little tilt like it did when she was trying not to be too serious and failing miserably. "I guess I don't really know," she began, letting her gaze trail along the window frame. "Someone was talking about it in the shop today and, I don't know. I just had to see for myself, you know?" She laughed once, a sarcastic lilt to her voice. "Not that I didn't know what to expect. God, is there anyone working here do you think?" She looked back around the dimly lit restaurant as if the poor service was suddenly the most important problem. Almost as soon as she'd spoken however a door at the back opened and out slipped a wiry little man with a very false smile plastered to his ashy face.

"Very sorry about this, you two," he said cheerily. "Very sorry indeed. What can I get you?"

"A coffee, for me, please," Melissa said pleasantly.

"Same," Sirius added, somewhat annoyed with the waiter's demeanor.

"Certainly, certainly." The man hopped off and disappeared back behind the door, leaving them once again in silence.

"What about you?" She said suddenly, watching him closely.

"Huh? Oh, the _Prophet_? I guess everyone already knows what is says in a way, don't they? But they still read it."

"Funny, isn't it?"

Sirius nodded and tapped his foot absentmindedly against his chair leg. "So," he said slowly, trying to put together a sentence. "I am quite obviously not used to doing this, so uh…"

Melissa giggled and shook her head. "Well usually people ask each other questions. Like, I don't know where you're from, and as far as I know, you don't know where I am, so we can start there."

"Right. Uh, well - here, for me. Guess you could say I never really left. And you?"

"Bristol originally. We moved here when I was little and Dad got a job at the Ministry. Everyone thought it was such a big deal, but my grandparents were the most excited out of anyone. For a long time he had held little odd jobs, never anything solid and definitely nothing his parents considered worthwhile. They had a long pureblooded history and, though they never said of course, I don't think they were exactly pleased when their son married a muggle."

"Your coffee." The annoying little wire man popped back up beside the table, placing two white ceramic cups before them and skating away.

"Well thank you, my good sir," Sirius said sarcastically once he had gone. Melissa laughed and stirred her drink absentmindedly, watching as the steam left the cup and drifted through the chilly air.

"So," Sirius continued. "Grandma and Granddad don't care for muggles?"

She looked back up, meeting his gaze. "Oh, no, nothing like that. They're actually very wonderful people. Just a little old fashioned is all. Once they got to know her, they liked Mum well enough. They love him more than anything. I guess they finally figured if she was good enough for him, they'd have to accept her. And what of yours, oh great and mysterious Sirius?"

He smiled and watched his own hands draw a semicircle on the dark stained wood. "What of them?"

"Well, do they _care for muggles_ as you put it?" She stifled a giggle.

She spoke like she'd never heard of the noble and most ancient house of Black. Anyone that had wouldn't be asking that question. "Ah, not exactly. Though, not many people in my family do." She nodded slowly and looked away. "But I do!" he added quickly. "I'm not like the rest of them."

"Hm - I see. Little rebellion?"

"_Little_ might be putting it lightly. When you're the only Gryffindor in a family of Slytherins, well. Needless to say, it creates a little tension."

"So you went to Hogwarts, then?"

Sirius nodded. "Didn't you?"

"Mum wasn't so keen on my sister and me being sent away like that. She preferred that we stayed home and have my dad teach us. Gram and Granddad helped too of course. I've always wondered what it might have been like to go to actual school though. We had a neighbor growing up who was my age; we'd see her leaving for Kings Cross every September loaded down with her trunks and a part of me was always tempted to follow her without telling my parents." She sighed. "I obviously never went through with it. To be honest, I think it would've killed my mother had I left, especially after Maggie got married."

"Maggie? Your sister?"

Melissa sipped at her coffee. "Mm-hm. Mags moved out when I was fifteen and then Jenny came along a year later. Mum had always been, I don't know, not exactly _clingy _- protective I guess is the right word. After her eldest left, she got kind of nervous about me growing up too. Up until recently, she hasn't wanted to let me out of her sight, like I might realize I'm not a little girl anymore."

"Up until recently? Why the sudden change?" She sighed and swirled her glass wistfully. Sirius got the impression he may have done something wrong but had no idea what.

"You know how I said I didn't know why I read the _Prophet_ if I already knew what it would say?" Sirius nodded slowly, not sure he liked where this was headed. "Part of the reason I do it is to make sure it _doesn't_ say things too. A few months ago, my father came home and said we were leaving. He wouldn't say why, only that something had happened at work. We packed up and headed to my aunts'. We were there for about a week before Dad went out one day and just didn't come back. We sent out posters, put out an ad in three different papers, muggle and wizarding, but all we found out was that no one else had heard from him either."

She paused, taking a deep breath and looking everywhere but at Sirius. "So what are you doing here? Looking for him yourself?"

She shrugged, "Yes and no," closed her eyes and finally looked up at him. "A few weeks ago, we got an owl from the Ministry. It, er - it was about my sister and her husband. Someone broke into their house. They said he was one of the Death Eaters you hear about. He killed them. They were supposed to be on holiday but they cancelled last minute. Said it was too dangerous to leave right now. Jenny was at my grandparents' place, thank God." Her voice petered out toward the end until it was no more than a whisper. She was looking at her cup again, now empty with a little ring of sugar around the bottom.

"I'm sorry," was all Sirius could say. What else was there?

He half expected her to yell at him that he couldn't possibly understand, couldn't possibly know what it felt like to lose someone like that, but she smiled softly. "It isn't your fault. You don't have to apologize for what he did. I've never understood why people do that, apologize for things that have nothing to do with them."

"It is a funny thing, I guess, huh?" Sirius hesitated, thinking he should say something more but not sure what to say. "Maybe it's got something to do with knowing how it feels, or wanting the person to think you do. Isn't that something they say helps people cope with stuff like that? Being around people that get it."

Melissa looked at him thoughtfully. "I take it you're someone who gets it."

He smiled and pushed back his chair a little ways from the table. The empty café seemed even quieter than before. Sirius wondered if their little waiter had left. "What do you say, should we get going? I think our friend has left the premises."

She laughed, a refreshing, lighthearted laugh. "I think you may be right."

The little bell on the door rang softly as they stepped outside, back out into the cold night air, and walked hand in hand in silence back down the fog filled London street.


	12. Chapter 12

It was a cold November.

The leaves started to fall early, Sirius remembered. They changed early too, transforming mid-September into the brilliant yellows and golds and reds of autumn.

The huge, ancient-looking tree (Melissa had confirmed it was an Alder) that stood across from the little yellow house held on to its last few leaves long after the rest of the tree-line had gone bare.

James and Lily came to visit often, rather preferring to bother Sirius than James' mother, and even Melissa popped in with little Jenny on Saturdays when she was off from work.

He was alone there but at the same time they were always there with him. There reading the _Prophet_ at three in the morning on nights when all of them lost track of time and accidentally stayed too long; laughing too hard over unfunny jokes and warm tea; watching blackbirds at the window when they all needed a little silence and each other's company. Sometimes it felt like they were right back in Gryffindor common-room again, like they were home.

And then one day James and Lily weren't there. It was a Saturday and Jenny was in the process of figuring out that Sirius the human and Padfoot the dog were one and the same, giggling excitedly as she yanked fiercely on his tail and chased him around the living room.

The black faced owl entered of its own accord, sailing silently through the kitchen window and landing with a rustle on the table.

Sirius transformed again, Jenny still wrapped around his shoulders as he stood up and took the small grey envelope from the bird who promptly swooped out the window again.

Jenny shrieked with frightened joy as she grabbed tighter around his neck and he laughed as he slowly unfolded the note.

"Hey, sh!" he grinned, reaching around for the little girl and pulling her down until she was safely settled once again on the ground.

"Jennifer you leave him alone!" Melissa called from the other room.

"She's fine!" Sirius yelled back with a smirk.

He reached for the now lukewarm cup of coffee he had had earlier from the table and looked over the letter, recognizing James' straight-lined, not exactly neat handwriting.

Somehow, it seemed too serious. The normal waviness of the script was absent, replaced by an almost jagged abruptness to the words. Even the way his name was written was off.

_Sirius._

It seemed forced, unwanted.

He walked to the door slowly as he read it through, patting Jenny on the head and taking his coat from a chair.

"Mel, I have to go," he called softly as she came laughing around the corner.

"Everything good?" she smiled and scooped up Jenny in her arms.

"Dunno, but I really have to go," he said apologetically, clumsily pulling on the jacket and wrapping a scarf haphazardly around his neck.

Melissa shook her head casually and shrugged and Sirius slipped out the door.

* * *

><p>The house was silent upon Sirius' arrival and he had to work up the courage to knock on the door.<p>

Lily opened it and immediately threw her arms around his shoulders. Sirius returned the hug cautiously and stepped inside, pausing a moment as he noticed a new portrait in the entryway, hung beside the one of James' father. Mrs. Potter looked down on him kindly from the scrolled frame and he could almost hear her welcoming him in.

Lily noticed his hesitation and smiled sadly, sticking her head around the corner and motioning for him to follow her.

"James."


End file.
